85th Annual Mesaba Park Midsummer Festival

Plans for this summer’s celebration are in full swing. It is so remarkable to me that this event has been happening consistently for 85 years! Quite an accomplishment. So, here is what to expect:

Friday the fun starts off with a BBQ at 5:30 by the pavilion—feel free to bring a salad or other foods to share. Then—we will have an open stage/sing along from 7 to 8pm. Traditional Finnish dancing is next with Terrance Smith teaching and Oscar Forsman and Barb Hanka providing music. Then at 10pm—Fire on the Lake takes place in front of the pavilion.

Saturday starts out with breakfast, then yoga with Linda and a journaling workshop. Lunch follows. The main program starts after lunch. The Whole Foods Coop in Duluth will sponsor the movie “…. Food For Change, a feature-length (84 min.) documentary from Home Planet Pictures, tells the story of the co-op movement in the U.S. through a combination of interviews, rare archival footage, and commentary by co-op leaders and historians.” (HOME PLANET PICTURES, 23 Unity Street, P.O. Box 229, Turners Falls, MA 01376) Representatives from food coops in Minnesota will have information about their coops to share. Molkke and Maypole will follow this event. At 5pm, the social hour starts followed by the Saturday night festival supper. At 7pm, sign up with Terrance for an open stage. At 8pm—singer songwriter, Sara Thomsen, from Duluth, will take the stage. Dancing and the bonfire are after the concert.

Sunday start the morning with pancakes in the pavilion and poetry in the Yurt. The annual meeting will start at 11am and the mojakka will be cooking and ready by noon.

Hope to see you all there!

20th Annual Northstar Arts Camp at Mesaba Co-op Park

“Poetry in the Park”

The 20th annual Northstar Arts Camp will be held at Mesaba Park June 16-19: “Poetry packs a punch without ever laying a hand.” We are thrilled to have Bill Buczinsky, a man driven to help us all “play the game of poetry” and find “A CHILD’S VOICE,” on the team of artists at this year’s camp!

Oscar Forsman, Dorothy Sandness, Terrence Smith, and Jim Larson will collaborate on traditional song and dance that help us celebrate our Midsummer traditions. John Latimer, featured phenologist on KAXE, will again join us for an informative “Walk in the Park,” and Elanne Palcich and Lynn Lapatka will help us explore, love, and understand our Park. David Bednarczuk and a host of volunteers rounds out this amazing team to provide a truly unique experience creating ART in this special place.

Campers aged 8-13 are invited. The arts day camp runs Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the option of camping, if accompanied by an adult. Cost for the four-day camp is $90 and includes lunches, snacks and materials.

Funding for the camp is provided by Elizabeth Ewen’s John E. Forichette Memorial Trust, and Lake Country Power’s Operation Round-up. It is co-sponsored by Hibbing Community Education.

Mesaba Co-op Park was founded in 1929 by Finnish progressives to provide meeting and recreational facilities for its members. It has hosted many progressive organizations, activists, artists, politicians, union members, and the public. The Park is one of the few remaining cooperative parks in the United States. Guests come to enjoy the Park’s history, cultural legacy, and natural beauty.
Read more